AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Report Title: Car Park Income Trends

AGENDA STATUS: PUBLIC

Meeting Date: 19th March 2012 Directorate: Resources Accountable Cabinet Member: Cllr Alan Bottwood Ward(s): Not Applicable

1. Purpose 1.1 To provide an update on car parking income and usage across the Borough Car Parks

2. Recommendations 2.1 To note the Car Parking Income and usage to end of January 2012.

3. Issues and Choices

3.1 Report Background 3.1.1 Audit Committee has requested a regular update on the usage and income across the Council’s Car Parks across the Borough. This report shows the summary of income and usage in total and at individual car parks.

3.2 Issues 3.2.1 The audit committee, as part of their review of the potential risks in the Council’s budget, identified car parking income as a significant risk which they would wish to monitor throughout the year to assure themselves that the risks are being managed.

3.2.2 The Committee also expressed concern around the risks relating to increasing the rates for the use of ‘standard’ car parks to the same level as the ‘premier’ car parks. This was agreed as part of the budget setting by Council on the 29 February 2012. 3.2.3 Northampton Borough Council car parks are currently designated as either ‘premier’ or ‘standard’. Whilst the majority of car parks are designated ‘premier’, seven car parks – Chalk Lane, Doddridge Street, Marefair, Horsemarket, Market Street, Melbourne Street & Midsummer Meadow are designated ‘standard’.

3.2.4 Standard car parks (599 spaces) account for 11.8% per cent of the total parking 5,070 spaces in the town. They are located very close to the town centre but have the same facilities and benefits as our premier car parks, but for historic reasons they are around 25 per cent cheaper than other town centre car parks.

3.2.5 The purpose of change in rates was to achieve greater fairness in car park charging and remove the incentive to park on the fringes of the town centre and to encourage people into the heart of the town to support the town’s retail offer. This now means that all council car park charges will be brought into line in a bid to standardise prices, making them more straightforward and fairer for customers.

3.2.6 It also means that the reduced parking charges that were introduced in October 2011 will apply. The ‘standard’ car parks already benefit from free Sunday parking which applies across all Borough Council car parks.

3.2.7 Data and graphs below show comparisons over 10/11 and 11/12 to end of January. Usage April – January 10/11 was 1,595,497 and 1,671,216 for the same period this year, an increase of 75,719. This should be taken in the context of the severe weather around December 10/11 so figures may not completely reflect the new scheme. Income is a different story with £2,805,558 in the 10 months of 2010/11 compared to £2,473,569 this year, a reduction of £331,989. This cannot be treated as a direct comparison as the scheme did not start until late October 2011, and income to end October was £140K down on the previous year. Equally this is a comparison to actual income not budget.

3.2.8 Ticket Numbers and Income for all Council Car parks is shown in the table and graphs below.

| Month | Ticket Numbers | Income | |-------|----------------|--------| | | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | | Apr | 137,523 | 147,990 | 249,937.34 | 230,935.09 | | May | 148,488 | 167,183 | 248,573.89 | 251,619.81 | | Jun | 147,741 | 156,279 | 268,139.58 | 255,158.44 | | Jul | 156,560 | 170,913 | 310,133.33 | 244,140.19 | | Aug | 149,644 | 157,434 | 258,609.18 | 252,304.25 | | Sep | 147,625 | 166,157 | 260,102.41 | 263,178.80 | | Oct | 176,535 | 161,820 | 276,681.49 | 234,886.05 | | Nov | 186,962 | 169,395 | 280,120.75 | 218,041.30 | | Dec | 184,357 | 216,366 | 431,673.82 | 314,537.28 | | Jan | 160,062 | 157,679 | 221,586.11 | 208,768.02 | | Feb | 142,832 | 235,377.60 | | | | Mar | 162,488 | 261,309.85 | | | | Totals| 1,900,817 | 1,671,216 | 3,302,245.35 | 2,473,569.23 | 3.2.9 The breakdown of the usage and income for individual car parks across the Borough is shown in appendices one and two.

3.3 Choices (Options) 3.3.1 None

4. Implications (including financial implications)

4.1 Policy 4.1.1 There are no policy implications arising from this report.

4.2 Resources and Risk 4.2.1 There are no specific resource implications arising from this report.

4.3 Legal 4.3.1 There are no specific legal implications arising from this report.

4.4 Equality 4.4.1 There are no specific equalities implications arising from this report.

4.5 Consultees (Internal and External) 4.5.1 The Director of Finance and Support and the Head of Finance have been asked to comment on this report.

4.6 How the Proposals deliver Priority Outcomes 4.6.1 Sustain effective and prudent financial management. 4.6.2 Be an agile, transparent organisation with good governance.

4.7 Other Implications 4.7.1 None.

5. Background Papers 5.1 Appendix A – Car parking data for individual Car Parks across Northampton.

Isabell Procter, Director of Resources PREMIER CAR PARKS

Commercial St South Apr - Mar

St Peters Way Apr - Mar

St Johns Multistorey Apr - Mar